Over

The app for those who want a cheap alternative to expensive graphic design apps, but don’t want to compromise on function and features.

I can’t put photoshop or any creative adobe skill on my resume, mostly because I never really learned or bought the software. The prices are too high for a college student to maintain and upkeep (subscription service) and the trial is too short to practice any graphic design techniques or projects. In my search for substitutes, I happened upon Over. Bracing myself for disappointment (either not user-friendly or simply not a good app), I was surprised that this comes alarmingly close to the real thing. Aside from not letting users draw and create their own designs, everything else is up to your control. Insert Imagination here.

Since this is a design app, there are a multitude of features and options to choose from. However, I will give a brief introduction on how to start using the app and creating your personally design card, picture, poster, or flyer.

You first choose the layout and size of the background, as well as the color (or transparent). Each element you add will be its own separate layer, so it’s hard to completely mess up.

You can then proceed to add photos/images, “graphics” (which include overlays, or art created by other artists you can download from the store – many of them are free), text, or videos. Every aspect of each category can be changed.

Just to list some:

• Image: filters
• Text: font, shading, size, curvature, opacity, mask, blend
• Graphic: crop, size, shadow, opacity, blur, tint, mask, blend
• Shape: (a pro feature)
• Video: filters, size, rotate, nudge

Then you can either save it to your camera roll, post on various social media sites, or even publish it on Over!

Although I will eventually move into Adobe Suite if I am to do graphic design and art professionally, this is a superb app to practice on in the meantime. It gives the user such a wide range of options and features, just in a more user-friendly IPhone and IPad app that barely requires a tutorial (I didn’t even watch the tutorials provided in the app; I just figured it out as I went because it’s truly not that hard). This helps me design Powerpoint slides, flyers, posters, or even just spruce up some pictures I might want to post on social media. Drawing it on paper is one thing, but being able to have complete control over every aspect helps the final product come out so polished and clean. Having an app that I can access on my phone just makes it that much more convenient.